Milky’s Music Matters

MILKYS MUSIC MATTERS MATTERS

FOCUS ON UPCOMING BEDFORD GIGS

2020 was meant to be a colossal year at Esquires, what with a 30th anniversary to celebrate, venue improvements scheduled in with contractors and an absolutely amazing line-up locked into the diary…and then the world went and changed.

Meeting regularly on zoom, the main promoters (Pad presents, Roar Club and Club Biscuit) would try and maintain some sense of sanity as they faced having to rearrange and juggle dates (several times over) and push events out as far as May next year. With the government releasing dates for the escape from lockdown, the idea of an all-day, multi-room festival was mooted and quickly agreed on. Saturday the 17th of July was selected and a wish-list of acts quickly drawn-up, Esquires owner Gareth Barber explains; “Everyone has been so supportive of the venue over the last 12 months, so we wanted to put on an event that hopefully will be like a re-opening party and a delayed anniversary celebration rolled into one. The line-up is notable for featuring two female headliners and 75% of the acts performing having either all female line-ups or feature a female member. This wasn’t contrived or even deliberate as myself and the other promoters kept coming up with the same names and when we fi nalised the line-up we were all really pleased with how varied it was in terms of genre and gender”.

Main stage headliner Billy NoMates performance at the venue will be a precursor to her sold-out October tour and follows rave reviews for her debut album ‘Emergency Telephone’ recorded with Geoff Barrow (Portishead). Big Joanie make their fi rst appearance at Esquires to unleash their post-punk pop hybrid stylings ahead of supporting IDLES on tour early next year whilst the two-piece noise explosion of JOHN (times two) return after headlining the venue just

Restrictions have lifted (hopefully), let’s get gigging!!!

Sat 3rd July Daft Funk LIVE + Hitman + Mass C Wed 7th July PVA + Lazarus Kane + Folly Group Fri 9th July 2 Tone All Ska’s Sat 10th July Kirk Brandon (Spear of Destiny) Fri 16th July The Smyths perform ‘Meat IS Murder’ & ‘The Queen Is Dead’ Sat 17th July CEREMONY #1 – multi-stage one day festival (Billy Nomates, Big Joanie, Pins, JOHN, Crows, Feet, Talk Show, Thyla, Lynks, Bleach Lab, Regressive Left, Grandmas House, Lowgirl) Fri 23rd July The Rifl es (acoustic) Tue 27th July Squid (SOLD OUT) Fri 30th July Elijah Miller Fri 6th August Guns 2 Roses Sun 8th August Dream Wife Fri 13th – 15th Aug Tom Grennan (SOLD OUT) Sat 21st August Noasis Sun 22nd August Gene Loves Jezebel Sat 28th August Katy J Pearson

+ many more Check listings at bedfordesquires.com for details or facebook.com/bedfordesquires Tickets available from Esquires, Slide Record Shop and online – seetickets.com

ahead of lockdown number 1. Manchester trio PINS have an ever-evolving sound which has seen them add disco synths to their guitar led pop fuzz and have that instant cool which led them to work with Sir Iggy of Pop. Crows always provide an intense aural thrill ride of volume, threat and gusto whilst FEET have more than an album’s worth of wriggly pop anthems to treat us too.

The inaugural CEREMONY festival will take place at Esquires on Saturday 17th July with a line-up comprising of Billy NoMates, Big Joanie, Pins, JOHN (times two), Crows, FEET, Thyla, Talk Show, Bleach Lab, Regressive Left, Lynks, Grandmas House, Low Girl and Enjoyable Listens. There is also a stage directly outside

the venue curated by BLENDER with performances from Enne, JW Paris, Viddy, Banton and more.

As well as some of the fi nest emerging artists in the UK, the festival will also be hosting some of the fi nest cuisines too, with an array of street food vendors for meat eaters, vegans and everyone in-between. Doors open midday with bands playing until 11pm with an aftershow party kicking off straight afterwards through til 3am. Tickets are on sale now and cost £22.50 + booking fee from seetickets.com. Physical tickets from Esquires and Slide Record shop. This really is one NOT TO MISS. Keep music live, Milky.